Johnfromnorwich's system

Gyro - Orbe / VC / OL RB300 / DL110 / Dino + Copland CDA823


Glasshouse TVC


WAD6550


Tannoy Lancaster / Gold 15"


Office System
MacBook Pro / M-audio Fire-Wire Audiophile / Meridian 203 / Cyrus 1 / Cyrus 780 / Sennheiser HD650.

 

Hi John,

How are you getting on with your Lancasters? Got all the issues sorted out I hope.

 

Hi Dev - More or less. As soon as I can get around to it, I need to drop the tweeters out and get them swapped (BigEars is on the case). This appeared to be the root of my problem - at least to the extent that switching them back and forth will move the problem. A dry solder joint was also involved... One diaphragm is slightly out of tolerance (mechanically, not electrically) and has been given an additional layer of paper-shimming at some point to correct the error but it's not a 100% correct fit so that tweeter sticks slightly when trying to remove it. If I disassemble / reassemble them and righten everything up, then they're perfect for a while but the imbalance comes back over time. In short they can be 'right' provided I keep a screwdriver handy! It's a bit annoying, but I can live with the hassle until I have the time to do one last dismantling job. Needless to say, when they are right, they sound fabulous.

 

I know what you mean. Ian (Sideshowbob) has a pair of these in excellent condition and they sound great.

 

very good system there Johnfromnorwich.I love my glasshouse tvc but have to use rothwells to cut the gain as the volume comes on too hot with my kit.

 

John - Cheers. It's been a bit of a random journey and I'm still not convinced by CD (the Copland is a bit dull to my ears but substantialy meatier sounding than the Cyrus 8 it replaced). The room is actually rather reflective whch messes things up a bit when I fancy some really noisy rock. In fact I've never had a reliably good 'rock sound' in this room, irrespective of the kit.

My only real complaint about the TVC is that the steps could be a little closer together. Soundwise, I've compared it to a WAD Pre2 and it was a close call (transparency vs. drive) but more a matter of taste than 'one being better.

I assume you have massively sensitive speakers or power amp(s)? The WAD is fairly sensitive and the Tannoys are rated at 95db/w/m and even very late at night I can get a quiet enough sound albeit from the first couple of notches. The bass sure does travel though, even at low volume

 

I know what you mean when you say transparency vs drive as my brother has the wad pre and a glasshouse 300b and he also has a glasshouse tvc.I myself have a full cyrus system and have gone back to using the cyrus pre vs2 with psxr as i found the steps too coarse with the tvc and the cyrus pre gives a fuller bodied sound with more drive.My speakers are 90db but my cyrus power amp needs less than half a volt for full power and my dac x kicks out 2.3 volts.My lttle michell iso phono stage doesnt seem to like the passive pre much either and sounds too lean for my liking with the tvc.Maybe your dino is the same ?.My brother also has the wad phono to match the pre and is delighted with the results compared to his EAR phono and tvc.

 

Interesting. The Dino is a bit on the lean side but this is probably balanced out by a bit of valve colouration and plenty of bass extension from the Tannoys. I really liked the WAD Phono2 but I just can't afford it.... I'm still a bit surprised about the sensitivity matching - the WAD is 500mV full scale (I think) and I used a Cyrus 8 (then 5) integrated as a pre for a while and if anything I had turn the TVC up further then the Cyrus.... Mind you, 2.3V sounds like a lot... and then there's room dimensions... and what different people consider to be loud...! Enjoy it . Plus you've got remote control with the Cyrus, which I do miss a bit.....

 

The loudest i play is 70db and most of the time much much lower than that.ive just tried the tvc again without the rothwells and no1 was my normal level and no2 was too loud.The tvc does sound better without the rothwells in place but i cant live with a either on or off volume control.All the new CDs i bought over the last year or so are much louder than the older ones and leave me little or no adjustment with the tvc.Also as you say it is nice to have remote control and the mc bus with everything turning on or off and full adjustment of settings.

 

Just noticed where this thread was and thought I would add my bit.I use a Glasshouse tvc with a Glasshouse 300b,I reach pretty high volumes with it at 11 o clock on the dial,I recently noted issues with my phono appearing a bit lean after a change of cartridge but have removed the rack from within the speakers leaving free space,tweaked the cartrdge and arm and added new speaker cable.Needed longer runs.(Origin Live) and I now have a much fuller sound again although I probably need the volume up a notch or two.

 

My latest experiment seems to work very well.I now run my tvc through another passive that my brother dik made for me.This pre has a dact stepped pot inside which like the tvc has 23 steps.I now have the fine adjustment i was looking for with no apparent loss in fidelity that i can hear.I have the dact set to no9 and the tvc volume at 12 oclock and can now make very fine adjustments.Im a happy bunny now.A couple of pics http://dik.dolan.googlepages.com/passivesfront.JPG a little dark sorry.And above showing the cables http://dik.dolan.googlepages.com/passives.JPG

 

well ive had a good preamp day today and been swapping between 4 different preamps.After many a swap ive gone back to my old faithful michell argo hr.This pre designed by tom evans has the clarity of the tvc and the drive of my active cyrus so the best of both in one box.Its a tough job but someone has to do it.

 

I just got myself a wad K5881 to use with my tvc john.Very happy with the sound from this combo but the wad is even more sensitive than my cyrus.Ive got rothwells fitted on the amp in so its usable just.Much fuller tonal balance and textures than my Cyrus amp has.Cant stop playing music so im off to delve through my music collection.

 

I'm not familiar with that particular amp (does 5881 = KT66?), but I've found the WAD/TVC combo to be a good one! For my tastes at least, it was a big step up from the Cyrus (even if I miss the remote sometimes). Stil surprised you need rothwells!!! It might be worth asking on the World Designs site about adjusting the input sensitivity, if you've got an issue with it then it's a fair bet that someone else has already been there.

 

My brother says he can alter it for me.Its most of the new cd that i have bought seem to get louder and louder lately.If i play some of my older cd like tracy chapman that not too bad and i have the tvc on no4.Some of these newer ones like raising sand are very loud and i have the tvc on no1 even with the rothwells and no2 is too loud. http://dik.dolan.googlepages.com/wadamp1.JPG just asked my brother about the kt66 and he says they are very similar but not quite the same.My wad amp is very sensitive at 75mv for full output i think it is.